KE*A*H** (Psalm 69)
Ministry
1992
Album Summary
ΚΕΦΑΛΗΞΘ (commonly known as Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs or simply Psalm 69) is the fifth studio album by American industrial metal band Ministry, released on July 14, 1992, by Sire Records. It was produced by frontman Al Jourgensen and bassist Paul Barker, and was recorded from March 1991 to May 1992 in Chicago, Illinois and Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. The album's title, initially intended to be The Tapes of Wrath, ended up being derived from Aleister Crowley's The Book of Lies. Psalm 69 features elements of speed metal, rockabilly, and psychobilly, with lyrics exploring social, political, and religious topics. With much anticipation following the success of Ministry's previous album The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste (1989), pressures on the band were said to be high, in addition to the growing substance abuse of several members and worsening relationships between them. It was also the first time Mike Scaccia had been significantly involved in a Ministry album, after appearing on tours in support of The Mind.... Preceded by lead single "Jesus Built My Hotrod", Psalm 69 was a critical and commercial success upon its release, peaking at number 27 on the US Billboard 200 and number 33 on the UK Albums Chart. It was supported by two more singles: "N.W.O." and "Just One Fix", with accompanying music videos directed by Peter Christopherson. Psalm 69 is considered to be Ministry's most successful album, having been certified gold in Canada and Australia, and platinum in the US. Following its release, Ministry joined the second annual Lollapalooza tour before commencing a tour through Europe and the US; "N.W.O.", "Just One Fix", and the title track have become permanent features of the band's live setlist. "N.W.O." was nominated for the Best Metal Performance at the 35th Annual Grammy Awards.
WikipediaAn absolutely excellent foray into industrial metal, and the sheer ridiculousness of Jesus Built My Hot Rod easily puts this at a 5 (though a bit of nostalgia is clouding my judgement, if I’m honest)
A distinct departure from the artists that I've been served so far, Ministry is definitely more in my wheelhouse. The post-punk, industrial metal band is familiar to me though I do tend to associate them with the cybergoth, doomcookie, techno-twerking crowd. That said, I'm aware that they have a reputation for being hella smart and socially-concious so I listened to this album with the culural context of 1992 in mind. It didn't disapppoint. It's smart and contextual even if it is a bit on the obvious side as far as commentary goes. That said, the album only has a few tricks in its pocket and wears very thin by the end. It gets docked a point because I felt worn out and more than a little bored by the time I finished the last track.
Here’s what I know about Ministry: Chester Bennington of Linkin Park honed his vocal stylings as a teen by singing along to Ministry until he sounded like them. That piece of possible-knowledge is interesting, but nowhere near as interesting as listening to Ministry, whose don't give a fuck about nuthin attitude is a tonic in these polarising times. Hell yeah Jerry Lee Lewis was the devil, Jesus was an architect previous to his career as a prophet, and once you've discovered that and find yourself in love with the world, all you can do is ding-a-ding-dang your dang-a-long-ling-long. Agnostic in every sense: to religion, politics, genre. And unlike the other metallic sludge we've had so far, this bops like the billy-o, is genuinely funny, and isn't saturated with misogyny or dumb machismo.
Ministry’s best record. P69 is an industrial classic that should get more credit for inspiring (for better or worse) a ton of nu metal, too (Rammstein, Rob Zombie, AHC, etc.). I really love this album, it’s got an undeniable intensity and in-your-faceness that’s cheese-tinged in all the right ways – importantly, sans the whole goth element that seemed to seep in elsewhere in the scene at the time (not that I don’t love goth stuff, but this has a whole different flavor from say, Skinny Puppy or NIN). The production is great, super hard hitting drums, thrashy, crunchy guitars (why not lift some Slayer?), great samples, stellar variety in tempo and style, and sequencing that makes this nothing short of binge-able. It’s fuckin’ raw without short changing listeners on all the good stuff. 4.5/5
Brilliant speed and rhythms. A little more separation in the mix for lead guitars wouldn’t have harmed, but still a thrill a minute.
To heavy for my tastes, but Jesus stole my hotrod is an absolute banger.
“ΚΕΦΑΛΗΞΘ (Psalm 69)” by Ministry (1992) In case you’re tempted to think that this is Contemporary Christian thrash metal, think again. The title, “ΚΕΦΑΛΗΞΘ” is a mildly humorous obscenity best left unexplained here, and the alternative title “(Psalm 69)” is no reference to the Bible, but rather to the sexually charged chapter 69 in a book by Aleister Crowley which will likewise remain unnamed. The subtitle is “The way to succeed and the way to suck eggs”. Use your imagination. No, don’t. This album title (along with title track) is one of the more egregious examples of theomockery which was all the rage in the early 1990s. Now don’t get me wrong, mockery has a long and honored pedigree in literary history. But when you take on the divine, and when you make a scatological assault on the foundations of Western civilization, you’re going up against a pretty distinguished group of opponents. This review will consider how well they do what they ought not do. How good is their naughtiness? (Reviewer pauses to listen, listen, listen, Hmnn, listen, okay . . .) Actually, it’s quite disappointing. If, like me, you’re mildly titillated by the opportunity to critique some really creative blasphemy, you’ll be sad to discover that only the title track falls squarely into that category. And it’s pretty ignorant. Two potent sacrilegious images and a cascade of uninformed impieties. Is this really the best you guys can do? You suck at evil. It’s as if the band got together in a focus group session to consider the question “How can we maximize inanity in marketing anti-Christian shock?” The results are impressive. Musically, this album provides a (very) few good thrash grooves, but it is unrelentingly repetitive. Vocals sound like Alvin and the Chipmunks doing impressions of Ozzy Osbourne. The ambience can be likened to spending 44 minutes watching a screaming clock. 1/5
Another formative record from my teens, this is an album that has not been tarnished by time in my ears. Ministry is what I imagined all metal music sounded like to people who didn't listen to a lot of it; fast, cheesy, repetitive, and blasphemous. NWO, Just One Fix, and Hero are still monster tracks to me. Jesus Built My Hotrod is such a stupid, awesome song, and Gibby Haynes' gibberish vocals are always great. Wow; so in TV II, only now after 30 years have I realized Al is saying "connect the goddamn dots" and not "connect the goddamn darts"; lol, yeah, I dunno.
There are times when I'm pretty sure that "Jesus Built My Hot Rod" is the greatest song of all time, those times are usually whenever I hear it.
Pretty damn good album. I remember when this was released - I bought the CD after seeing Al Jourgenson interviewed by Rikki Rachtman on MTV’s Headbangers Ball. You could tell Al thought Rikki was not as cool as he wanted him to be. Probably the best industrial metal album of all time. Love NWO and Just One Fix - that video featuring William S Burroughs is pretty cool too. The blind pigs at the “1001 albums” keyboard seem to have found an acorn!
Not my everyday cup of tea but gotta respect the skill required to pull that off
I don't much about industrial metal, other than this album and NIN were the ones to mainstream the genre, getting already popular metal bands like Anthrax and Megadeth to have their songs industrially remixed, and for industrial bands to rise over the next decade. And honestly I can see why. Before the 90s, industrial music seemed very niche, inaccessible to those not used to raw heavy sound that many consider to be monotonous or just too strange (I'm looking at you Lou Reed). But this combination of metal and industrial took the best of both worlds to create a product that was melodic yet hard, appealing to not only the youthful grunge generation, but also exposing older rock fans to yet another alternative to the samey hard rock and the dirty grunge that predominated rock radio. I really enjoy this album. I always found metal and industrial to both be hard genres for me to get into unless it was poppy like Metallica's black album. But this shift in the early 90s in the realm of metal found new ways to pull in people like me. I only need to hear this album once to appreciate the artistic techniques used in each track. The use of samples and diversity in tricks reminds me much of the genius behind early hip hop.
Ministry is a band I've heard about a lot and Al Jourgensen's iconic look is hard to not notice but I've never listened to their music. You could put a gun to my head and I can't name a single song. This has changed after listening to the album. The opening track "N.W.O" opens strong with a heavy industrial sound and the second song "Just One Fix" amplifies it. The guitar riffs could easily come from a Rammstein album except that this was released 3 years before Rammstein's debut album! Then "TV II" starts playing and changes the direction to some kind of speed metal to my disappointment as the previous two tracks were so good. However the rest of the songs on the album are bangers and it's just "TV II" that was a low point. This is probably an album that doesn't go well with a lot of people. It's a 4/5 for me but there's better industrial metal and definitely better metal albums out there.
10 years ago,I would have been all over this. Not that it's a bad album, its definitely a hard hitting industrial metal album and set a lot of groundwork but it doesnt make me want to move in the same way as before. Great production overall though,the machine drums and that grinding guitar tone is tight. Would I listen to this again? Maybe,at night,after a long day working,in a metal club, while drinking heavily. 3 stars but more like a 4/10 from me now.
I played it while feeding my baby a bottle. Not a good choice. First track was awesome.
not (much) repetitive, not unnecessarily long songs... this is some metal I can get behind
This didn't date as well for me; it was nice to have it follow on from Metallica, which I thought still held up. This one gave me a more nostalgic vibe for a time when I was younger, more immature, and latched onto this kinds of simplistic angry teen songs. "Jesus built my hot rod" still stands out, though, as a weird and wild bit of sustained, intense nonsense.
I like a fair bit of early industrial music, but don't know much industrial metal. I have listened to Lard and Revolting Cocks (which were affiliated projects), but never took the time to listen to Ministry. I've sat through this one twice, and I have to say I'm not a huge fan. I respect the fact that they are combining different sounds, but none of it sounds especially invigorating to me. The music and vocals become monotonous, while the spoken word samples are annoying. Checking out a sample of their earlier 1980s stuff, I suspect that might be better (to my ears at least). This 1990s album basically just feels like unexciting heavy metal with a slight industrial palette. 2.5
Proper mosh pit music. Reminds me of being in Metros, Cardiff. It's not the sort of music I would choose to listen to at home, but played loud in a night club, it's intensity comes across. I hate this style of style of singing and I can't really understand what he is saying. I'm guessing the songs are not about nice things like visiting Grandma or eating ice cream! Production is good mind.
Saw these guys opening for Death Grips and it was the cringiest shit, and that was at a Death Grips concert. Just seems like something I would've loved in elementary school if I was a bit older (not a compliment).
so much stronger than i remember, this is actually downright classic; almost as good as The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste.
An automatic 5 from me - I've loved Ministry in general and this album in particular since my teens. (Though I reckon "Filth Pig" edges it out for the title of fave album) I love the brutal battery of the fast songs, I love the portentous atmosphere of the slow songs, I love the incorporation of samples and Gibby Hayes glossolalia, I love it all! Fave track - "N.W.O." or "Just One Fix" or "TV II" or "Jesus Built My Hotrod" from the fast category, "Scarecrow" from the slow category...
I loved the instrumentation, especially the guitars. The songwriting was pretty good. Together they'd be good enough for 5 stars from me. Unfortunately, I really don't like the vocalist's voice though. The rest of the music is still excellent enough for 4 stars though. I do have to say the album seemed a bit long to me, even though it wasn't so long. Probably due to its high intensity.
Hardcore album, loud fast drums and guitars. Angry music. I saw on the wiki it called Ministry an Industrial band but this definitely didn't seem Industrial as it was just a traditional guitar/bass/drums setup. More Metal I would say, but without the solos and just the hard/fast energy all the way through the songs. Seem to have some different influences. The opening to Hero sounded a lot like Megadeth Jesus Built my Hotrod had some Primus vibes Scarecrow sounds like a Rob Zombie tune Not for everyone but I liked it well enough.
Man, this just gets my blood pumping. Good ol' thrash metal from the early '90s. If it's not your thing, I get it, but this is workout or writing music for sure.
4 definitely. A pioneer of industrial and a great album. TV II is a bit grating but the rest is so good.
I was not in the mood for industrial metal when this popped up on my list. However... this was really good.
Heavy, industrial, catchy, fun. A surprisingly accessible album (up to the last few tracks), given the genre. BIG and EPIC. I liked it a lot. 4/5.
I've always been aware of Ministry as they have often been cited as influences for bands I really like today- Volbeat being one. And you can hear the rockabilly thing that Volbeat have taken to the next level. Enjoyed it immensely
So much nostalgia with this album. This was the album that opened up industrial metal to my listening. But, I never returned to it much. That's probably going to change now.
This was pretty cool. Definitely not my kind of music but can't deny it was impressive.
This records gets me really fired up. It gives me as much of an adrenaline thrill as it did when it first came out. I love the industrial repetitiveness, the crunchy guitars, metronomic beats, angry yelling, all undercut with sarcasm and humour (most notably on Jesus Built My Hotrod). It takes me back to the early 90s, when this was on constant rotation in my share house, and was a key inspiration for my own industrial band. I love this record. It's the best industrial metal album of all time (with the possible exception of the live Ministry album that came out around the same time). Does everyone need to hear and love this album? No, they don't. it doesn't contain much to say about the human condition (except for the thrilling power of anger). But I love it. It gets me fired up.
I have nothing against Ministry, was just never my thing. The whole industrial gothy metal scene is all a bit much, innit? This album starts strong and stays there. Ministry is legendary at what they do for a reason. Glad I actually sat down and really listened to this one. Now I will know what all my edgy friends with dyed jet black hair are going on about just a little bit better, I suppose.
Mechanical and dirty. Just One Fix is sick and pulls off having the same riff for 5 minutes by having loads of interesting effects all over the place. Jesus Built My Hotrod is one of the only Ministry songs I really knew beforehand but is such an off-the-wall banger. Scare Crow is a nice atmospheric change of pace. The sampling overall is fittingly dark. Some very strange production choices (not in a bad way). Highly enjoyable to me.
never listened to this. I enjoyed it quite a bit. Highlights: Just One Fix Corrosion Scare Crow (I knew this one from Inter Arma cover) 4/5
Man, it's been a long time since I've heard these guys. Damn they shred. Good shit.
Firstly, to explain the title: it stems from an Aleister Crowley poem about 69ing, and let's be honest, is of no great profundity. The band were often just dicking about, and with that stance of dicking about is how best to approach this album. Ministry are usually classed as industrial metal (leaning more towards metal), two terms which scare off plenty of the weaker-bowelled. That said, they also bore off plenty who find both industrial and metal infantile and predictable. As for me, this album represents one of the better combinations of both, where the industrial harshness actually boosts the fun of metal. Specifically, this album is at its best when it reminds one of Motörhead, when it embraces the hard, fast, rough, loose rock n roll Lemmy championed. Occasionally the album gets ponderous, when they forget they're meant to be fribbling about and instead try to play as if the indecipherable lyrics meant something. But none of those instances really taint the album, and the discerning listener should cheerily ignore those parts. It will not at all persuade anyone ill-disposed to metal, but that's no reason for anyone to get upset.
ding a ding dang my dang along ling long! Funny, what I considered grating noise and shouty with Mudhoney did not apply to this. Enjoyed this! It may have helped that I was driving at the time so it made the drive more fun.
Idk, enjoy ministry more than I should probably. Guilty pleasure maybe.
This is not my usual music, though a dear friend of mine believes 'Jesus Built My Hotrod' is the high watermark of western music. I liked it a lot more than I expected. The motorik rhythms coupled with nihilistic lyrics and crunching guitars works for me!
Aggressive. Sounds like video game music. Very danceable grooves. Must have been a genre-defining album upon its release.
Hard driving, dark and grimy. Really effective use of loops, static, noise. Did I mention this freaking rocks? Brilliant. Fave Songs: N.W.O., Jesus Built My Hotrod, Hero, Scarecrow, Just One Fix
It's early industrial metal, you can really tell where NIN/Linkin Park/etc got their inspiration from. It's gritty, punchy, hits hard and I loved it. It's only not getting a 5 because there are some duff tracks, but a highlight was Jesus built my hotrod.
Необычный альбом. В нём что-то есть. Мне нравятся экспериментальные композиции.
Never heard of this band, or given the time of day to this genre but what an introduction. Will certainly listen again soon.
Really chaotic energy here that feels like a reflection of the frontman. Listening again all of the tracks were distinct/memorable (other than the last two instrumental songs) and could be picked out as a good representation of the genre. Favorite: Jesus Built My Hotrod
3.5.... but in this case Jesus might not have built MY hotrod, but it definitely pushed this up to a 4.
Loud and angry, sampleicious metal. Lots of fun but more so live, I think. Some of the tracks go on a bit. Jesus Built My Hotrod a highlight.
I've heard this album so many times. It's definitely a favourite from times gone but. Holds up for sure. Gonna slide a few long neglected favourites into my playlists.
Beats ass. Never thought I would be into industrial but this very enjoyable throughout.
Not bad; I enjoyed the title track. Has hints of Rammstein and Marilyn Manson - Perhaps they were inspired by Ministry?
This records gets me really fired up. It gives me as much of an adrenaline thrill as it did when it first came out. I love the industrial repetitiveness, the crunchy guitars, metronomic beats, angry yelling, all undercut with sarcasm and humour (most notably on Jesus Built My Hotrod). It takes me back to the early 90s, when this was on constant rotation in my share house, and was a key inspiration for my own industrial band. I love this record. It's the best industrial metal album of all time (with the possible exception of the 1990 live Ministry album). There's not really any _songs_ on this album; it is just one monstrous beat with slight variations on the same one-chord speed metal riff played across the whole album sprinkled with distorted yelling and the occasional sample. By the end of the album, they have even run out of yelling. It is a simple and repetitive idea, but it sure gets the blood pumping. I saw them touring this album at Selinas in January 1995, and they were tight and heavy and just what you'd expect them to be like. Awesome! Does everyone need to hear and love this album? No, they don't. It doesn't contain much to say about the human condition (except for the thrilling power of anger). The years have not been kind to Al Jourgensen and his crew of industrial outlaws; the hard living (especially hard drug use) has killed or enfeebled most of them. Uncle Al himself is a bit of a joke these days, and time has rendered the rebellious posturing of Ministry to be a bit of a Pyrrhic victory. I'm not sure it has all dated well At least this album isn't as bad, mostly, as the unfortunately titled "Land of Rape and Honey" album from 1988. But I love it. It gets me fired up.
i didnt expect to like a trashmetal album, jesus built my hotrod is amazing and the other songs are also more creative than i expected
This was another band I had never heard of. I listened through to it twice today. I liked it! I didn't like when the band was actually singing (too growly), but I really liked the music and when they would have looped audio of people saying particular phrases. Looking at the lyrics, they are pretty intense and full of commentary. We Live In A Society. It really is like speed metal, industrial, and psychobilly, just like the album description on this site said. It's fast and frenetic, good for working or running, probably. I think my faves are "N.W.O" and "Hero," but I can honestly say at this point in my familiarity with this album, a lot of the songs sounded similar.
Gloriously silly. Jesus built my hotrod the most fun think I've listened to in ages. Loved it! Some songs too samey for five but may be unfair as suspect in this genre that's part of the point.
Al Jourgensen, you terrifically weird man. Everything about this is pure chaos and insanity; from the bonkers album title to the production and general songwriting. This feels utterly inhuman. And, somehow, we’re all better for it. I still don’t get how Bill Rieflin went from drumming on this to semi-joining R.E.M. in 2003. What a career move!
Reading this horrendous/amazing album title, I had high expectations of the weirdness of the record. It lived up to the name - what a ride! Don't think I'll ever put it on again though, especially not if I'm around other people.
Great Industrial metal album! I was really surprised with how much I enjoyed this album and it has its own sound that is unique to it from the bands other songs and just when it comes to metal in general. It really has that 90's sound to it and this falls above albums like Closer for me.
I remember that in the 80s I thought there would be a market (at least in our record collection) for music that mixed heavy guitars, electronic beats and voice samples, but stuff like Ministry, Front 242, Skinny Puppy & The Revolting Cocks was too abrasive to listen to in anything but the smallest doses. 30 years later, go figure, my perspective seems to have changed. I like the voice sampling in the opening track, the manic guitar and psychotic screaming on TV II, the speed metal of Hero and Jesus Built my Hot-rod and the gothic grandeur of the title track, Psalm 69, though the goofy spoken word segments at the intro almost ruin it. Normally I hate metal and industrial rock, but I like the mood and melody under all this mess. I can see myself listening to this on a bicycle trainer on a gloomy winter day.
Super intense and spiked with creative outbursts to the Süds within this brutalist industrial outfit. Favorite: Scarecrow ! 3.5
not at all something i'd ever listen to on my own or probably again, but i can see why people would like this and i did somewhat enjoy it.
Decent, never usually listen to metal music but this had a nice sound. 3***
Kinda late but here goes. This is not up my alley at all so far. I feel like this is what right wing school shooters listen to before doing their thing. Especially that bush 1 “nwo” sample. Feels like what an asshole listens to. “Just one fix” reminds me of a Metallica song so far. Scratch that. Wiki says du hast. And yea that’s it. Sounds the same. “Hero” does sound thrashy so far. This is admittedly more thrashy than I thought. That’s probably a good thing even though it’s not my fav genre. It’s better than what I expected from “industrial metal”. The guitar tone is pretty vibey on “scare crow”. Listening in my iPad speakers right now but I can kinda feel the buzz from them. Pretty cool there. Not to sound like a grumpy old person but the last two tracks are almost pure noise. Not that that’s a bad thing necessarily but it feels very different from the rest. I had to take a pause before them to celebrate my moms bday and what I came back to sounded like a whole different album.